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We bought the house 3 years ago. The rose at the end of the picture below flowered just once in three years (this year). It grows like crazy, it is huge right now, almost bigger than the fence and I don't understand why it does not make flowers. What you see below is the only flowers we ever saw in three years.

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Update: enter image description here enter image description here

Update 2: Yes the grafting theory makes sense but the solution you are suggesting is going to be difficult to implement as it is not clear what is the flowering part Below I marked the flowering part but it is difficult to say of which part of those old roots it is coming out. This rose used to be where the walkway you see in the initial picture was. It was relocated and I remember that my brother in law worked quite a lot to move it. It sat in the original position for about 1 year and a a half and we saw no flowers. [enter image description here4 Update3 2020 after selective pruning [enter image description here5

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  • How much sun does it get? Can you please provide pictures taken much closer, showing the whole plant, so we can magnify and see the stems and leaves clearly please?
    – Bamboo
    Aug 19, 2017 at 22:39
  • I have uploaded two pictures, I hope that will do
    – MiniMe
    Aug 19, 2017 at 23:11
  • As I suspected initially, Alina's answer is probably accurate - check where the taller stems are coming from - if its below ground, or at least below the graft or scion junction (the lumpy bit at the base of the stem) they're off the rootstock, and are suckers and need to be wrenched off asap, to allow the grafted upper part of the rose to grow properly - if it's still there, the upper grafted variety that is, and it hasn''t died off completely, leaving only the rootstock growing.
    – Bamboo
    Aug 20, 2017 at 11:02

3 Answers 3

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I suspect that the vigorous stems that grow upwards are in fact suckers coming from below the grafting point, that is from the rootstock. I don't see another explanation for the fact that the vertical vigorous stems have a much larger diameter than the stems producing flowers.

If this is the case, you have to remove the suckers, keep the grafting point above ground and avoid covering it with soil.

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  • I think you might be onto something with the sucker theory.
    – Stephie
    Aug 20, 2017 at 8:46
  • Not sure about keeping grafting point above ground. Some rose experts told me the contrary (but just for roses, for other plants the standard way is still the best way) Aug 20, 2017 at 13:16
  • Probably because the scion can die in winter if it is not covered.
    – Alina
    Aug 20, 2017 at 13:22
  • ok after three years you can see the results. I am in love with this flower! Now the next step is to propagate it. What chances do I stand to do it from cuttings
    – MiniMe
    Jun 17, 2020 at 17:18
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Your original rose plant is dead, what you have are the suckers from the rootstock, typically known as a wild rose- this growth is normally very vigorous and long stemmed with slightly lighter coloured foliage than the original plant- the picture looking down is showing that the original plant was pruned too hard and has made the scion shoot outwards- best to dig up and start again in a different place as often roses planted on older rose beds don't do well. The wild rose will have a pink/white single flower with red hips in autumn- plus the plant has black spot on the lower leaves- beginning of the end for that plant too. sorry for the bad news.

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What I see from your pictures is that this rose is very near your lawn. When you fertilize your lawn you are using a fertilizer formula that is higher in nitrogen than P and K. That promotes vegetative growth, inhibits reproductive growth such as flowers and fruit.

That lawn has different needs than do your flowering plants. What happened that you had to redo part of your lawn? Is this lawn always in the shade? Is your rose in the sun or shade. That would also inhibit flowering of roses.

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  • I do not fertilize the lawn The rose has south east exposure (around 7h of sun daily) I had to add soil and then to seed the patch because the soil was improperly sloped and that became obvious after I created the path that you see in the picture (that is new)
    – MiniMe
    Aug 20, 2017 at 3:02

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